Connection plug



p 1940- s. A. LEVEY 2,214,560

CONNECTION PLUG Filed March 16, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l 5040 A. A vfyCONNECTION PLUG Sept 10 1940,

LEVEY Filed March 16, .1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2,

J/VWWXOM J5 57107 ALEl/EY, 3 32mm Patented Sept. 10, 1940 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

My invention relates to connection plugs and more particularly toconnection plugs of the type commonly used on the lead wires ofelectrical appliances and adapted and arranged to engage an outletsocket whereby current is supplied to i building circuit increasesbeyond a certain point because of short circuits or other accidents ineither circuit damage to the building circuit and its includedappliances and attachments will be prevented. However, ordinarily suchcircuit breakers must be made so that they will carry the greatestnormal load of the building circuit without blowing out.

Heretofore, the connection plugs used commonly consisted only of partsadapted to engage the outlet socket to form an electrical connectiontherewith and terminals conductively connected to said parts for thelead wires of the appliance. If a short circuit occurred in theappliance the fuse for the entire building circuit would be blown andthe circuit would be broken. It then was necessary to replace the blownfuse at the point where the commercial and house circuits were unitedand often such place was not readily accessible for the replacement.

Several attempts have been made to provide a plug of the type describedincluding as a unitary part thereof a fuse or other circuit breaker sothat if a short circuit developed in the appliance associated with theplug the circuit maintained between the outlet socket and the appliancewould be broken without disturbing the circuit in which the outlet wasincluded. Such devices which have been used for this purpose are eitherineffectual, expensive to manufacture or so intricate in design andoperation as to make a fuse contained therein inaccessible forreplacement.

The objects of my invention are to provide a connection plug including afusible element which will melt when a short circuit occurs in theappliance associated with the plug and to provide a plug of this typewhich will obviate the deficiencies of structure in the plugs heretoforeused and which will be simple in operation and cheap to manufacture.

Several embodiments of my invention are fully (01. zoo- 15.5)

shown in the accompanying-drawings wherein similar characters are usedto designate similar parts: Fig. l is an exterior View of one form of mydevice; Fig. 2 is a section along the line 2-2 in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is across section along the line '5 3--3 in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is an end view ofthe device; Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are views of a modified form of aconnection plug made according to my invention.

Referring to the Figures 1 to 4, inclusive, the To connection plug showntherein as embodying my invention has a base member A which may includea cap B threaded or otherwise detachably secured in predeterminedposition for the purposes more fully outlined below. The member 15 A forbest results is formed of a non-conductive material and is centrallydrilled as at C. The member has a pair of faces D and E which may bearranged in any manner, but which, preferably, are opposed, as shown, orare otherwise arranged so as to be separated by the body of the plug.Extending forwardly from the face D is a pair of prongs F and F adaptedand arranged to engage the openings in an outlet socket, not shown.While, I have shown a plug of the prong 5 type, I do not intend to limitmyself to this construction because parts providing a threadedengagement with the outlet socket or other parts to provide otherengagements therewith may be used with equal facility.

The prong F is secured to the member A on the face D and may comprise anintegral connector G leading to a terminal H for one of the lead wires Jto the electrical appliance, not shown, with which the plug isassociated. This lead wire extends through the drilled opening C.

The prong F, in this embodiment, extends through the body of the memberA and is secured on the opposite face E, as shown in Fig.

2. Similarly, the other lead wire J to the appliance is connected to aterminal K. The terminals and prongs, preferably, are attached to themember A by screws L or any other suitable expedient. The terminal K isremoved from the inner end of the prong F and between the terminal andthe prong is arranged a fusible element M which may be a short fusewire, as shown,

particularly in Fig. 3, or may be a fuse of any other type. Preferably,the fusible element is arranged to extend along the face E, and the plugis provided with a suitable holder to secure the fusible element in theplug so that the fusible element, when no longer operative, may bereplaced independently of replacement of other elements of the plug. Inone embodiment shown this holder consists of the screws S and S carriedby'the terminal K and the prong F, respectively. The cap B which isslipped over the lead. wires J before they are attached to the plug maybe screwed into place after such an attache ment so that the fusibleelement M will be protected.

When the plug is in use and a short circuit occurs in the appliance withwhich it is associated the fusible element M will melt and the circuitfrom theoutlet socket to the appliance will be broken; Preferably, thefusible element M is arranged so that it will blow with a'smaller loadthan that which the fuse for the building circuit is designed to carry.Therefore, the element M will melt before the building circuit isbroken. After the circuit has been broken and the appliance has beenrepaired the capB is removed and a new element M is inserted in place.This replacement may be accomplished quickly and easilybecause-thevarious parts are readily ac cessible. H

In the Figures 5 to '7, inclusive, I have shown a modified form of myinvention wherein the base member A, the; prongs]? andF, the connector Gthe terminal I-I for the lead wires J and theterminal K aresimilartothose shown in Figsbl to 4, inclusive. I-Iowever,. thefusible.ele-. ment N shown in the embodiment of Figs 5 tofl, inclusive,consists of a flat piece of thin metal or foil extending between theterminal K and. the inner end of the prong F. Anysuitable means forholding this element N in place may be used, but in the figures, Ihave;shown spring clips which will hold the element firmly in place andwhich will allow easy v removal of a burnt out element and replacementwitha new part.

While I have shown,,as stated above,- two embodimentsonly ofmy-invention in the accompanying drawings I do, not'intend to limit my-2,214,560 ifidj j' "i v self to the arrangement of the parts shownbecause the size, shape and arrangement of parts comprising a deviceembodying my invention may be varied within wide limits withoutdeviating from the spirit of my invention as included in the appendedclaims What I claim as new and desire Letters Patent, is:

l. A plug of the type described comprising parts adapted and arranged toengage an outlet socket tomake an electrical connection therewith, abase member having faces separated by the body of to secure by saidmember and each face carrying thereon a terminal to receive one of thelead Wires to an electrical appliance, a conductive connection betweensaid terminal and said part, said conductive connection for one of saidparts comprising a straight portion extending through said base member,and oneof said conductive connections including fusible element arrangedon the face of said base member removed from the: socket engaging end ofsaid plug. a v

,2. A plug of: the type described comprising parts adapted and arrangedto engage an outlet socket to make an electrical connection therewith, abase member having opposed faces separated bythe body ofsaid member and.each having a terminal to receive one 'of the lead Wires to anelectrical appliance, a conductive connection between each of saidterminals and one of said partsQand oneof said conductive connectionscomprising a straight portion extending through said base member betweensaid opposed faces and including in addition to saidstraig ht member afusible element arranged on the face of said base member removed fromthe socket engaging part and a cover attachably secured to said basememher over said face-0n vwhich said fusibleelement extends.

I SIMON A.

